He Knew
by Kathleen HighamEvery day I ride my bike
It's a lovely time to pray
My God is always with me
And He was there this day.
As I rode, I saw him
A beautiful blue-eyed child
He rode right up beside me
Then mischievously, he smiled.
Do you want to race with me?
I groaned inside my head
This little guy was so eager
1-2-3 now go, he said!
I've always been competitive
So I passed the little tyke
He was pedaling frantically
On his trusty, rusty old bike.
Finally I came to my senses
Realizing what I had done
He came flying by me proudly
Saying, "I won, I won,I won!"
I smiled at this precious boy
Oh my, you certainly did!
With piercing eyes he left me
What a determined little kid.
When I turned the corner
This stubborn boy was there
How about a rematch?
He goaded me with a dare.
Left him in the dust once more
Looking back, I felt this shame
So grudgingly I let him pass me
As he screamed, "I won the game!"
I was feeling rather tired
And I hoped he'd go away
But he came racing by me
I heard his little voice say.
Lady, I got another bike
Just give me one more race
I didn't have it in me
Till I looked into his face.
What is your name, I asked
It's Dillon and I'm seven
I'm thinking the kid's killing me
One more race, I might see Heaven.
So, one last time I promised
And down the street we went
I let him have the win again
But I was completely spent.
Glancing back, as I left
I wondered if he knew
Then he smiled and said to me
"Lady, I'm just as tired as you."
There surely was a lesson here
For what he said was true
I saw the honesty in his heart
In his innocence, he knew.
So many times they teach us
In their simplistic Godly way
He knew, I knew, God knew
A child spoke the truth today.
This poem was a finalist in the
July 2008 poetry contest
